During the late 1980s, I set out on a low-cost journey to Europe with a friend. Because my companion was exploring enrolling in graduate studies in New York, we had arranged a fortnight visit there on the way to London.
We got to the graduate housing, a sizeable 10-storey building on the Upper West Side named International House. After dropping our bags, we made our way to the canteen, where we got some food, sat down, and started talking to people eating there.
Adjacent to my seat was an Iraqi man studying engineering at a prestigious New York university. He asked me what I did for a living, and I told him that I had newly finished with a degree in science and had been working on studies using an electron microscope.
He mentioned that there was an research lab at the institution – adjacent to the engineering department, which was why he was aware of it. He proposed that I should apply for a job with them. I laughed it off, saying that I was soon departing to Europe and, even more importantly, I didn’t have a US visa.
The next day I ventured out, coming back to the dining hall that after dark. The Iraqi student came up to me and informed me that he had arranged an interview for me with the director of the microscopy lab at Columbia. Since he had made the arrangement, I showed up for the discussion – but straight off told my host that I lacked the necessary visa, so I was probably wasting her time.
In typical New York fashion – a metropolis where anything feels possible – she declared: “That can be arranged. When can you start?” I missed my plane to London.
I worked there for a trio of years. A perk of the job was that I also received complimentary education at Columbia, and I used the opportunity to finish a graduate degree in global studies.
I never saw that student again and I am unaware of his name, but his incredible act of kindness altered my destiny in numerous aspects. I lacked the courage or nerve to reach out at an prestigious college and request employment. And, I had long dreamed to study abroad, but lacked the financial means without that free tuition.
What's more, that gig at Columbia resulted in a position in Switzerland where I met my wonderful partner, with whom I now have four amazing children. This was a pivotal life event. That benevolent individual changed my trajectory in life, and I’m always appreciative.
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